We Need A Break
by Cheryl-chan
Summary: yaoi shikanaru nejinaru ?Naru Naruto declares that they should all go on a picnic together, except Shikamaru and both Neji realize they both habour feelings towards the blond-haired boy. What must they do to win his attention?


I wanted to work on a story again ^____^ I haven't written one in a long time, and I REALLY want to finish up my older stories (ie. Just a Normal Day, Beauty of the Beast) But I also wanted to get a story out of the way with my four favourite characters together *grins*

Title: We Need a Break.

Rating: PG-13

Pairings: Dun wanna give anything away XD 

For now: onesided (??) : ShikamaruxNaruto NejixNaruto

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Life really is a vicious cycle, it's unexpected and constant at the same time, he feels like every day is the same; unchangable, yet a certain event hits him and suddenly, drastic and instant transmutation from one perspective to another. Unanticipated, catching him off guard, flopping his helpless body into a wave of befuddlement and slapping him hard just as quickly onto the cold pavement of existence. 

He's confused for the first time.

He doesn't know when he started noticing it; it crept up softly and slowly behind him, catching him completely off guard. Completely unexpected. Beads of sweat start to form on the nape of his neck, and he feels irregularly warm, hot actually. Hot over, like liquid fire flowing through his veins and lighting his body in a crown of flames.

It's intoxicating and Shikamaru doesn't know what to say, or what to think.

"Oi! Shikamaru! Stop spacing out like that!" Naruto slaps his hand on Shikamaru's head in attempt to bring him back from his daze. Shikamaru flickers annoyed eyes towards him, before they widen and he suddenly swallows nervously.

Naruto was wearing a sleeveless black shirt and beige shorts underneath. Due to the hot weather, his blond hair was darkened and wet against his head and his skin was a golden tan. Shikamaru felt a trickle of sweat drip down his face slowly, tickling his moist skin and he is almost captured in a blank gaze as he stared at Naruto.

Naruto taps his feet impatiently, and waves his hand in front of Shikamaru's face once more. "Hello?? I'm practically melting here! I wanna go and get some ice-cream!!" Naruto shrills in irritation, and Shikamaru shakes his head quickly, his hair flopping around his shoulders before he glares at Naruto with flaming dark eyes.

"We have to wait for the others to arrive." he answers shortly, furrowing his brows, turning away quickly. He tried hard not to look at the sweating boy beside him. He could hear Naruto groan impatiently, and the hair on his back lift as a strange sensation shoots down his spine. 

Naruto grumbles momentarily in response, muttering something along the lines of:" Damned Sasuke bastard, thinks he's some sort of king or something, trying to get all of us to wait for him." He glances over at Shikamaru briefly, as if expecting some form of scolding or bored retort at what he said, and furrowed his brows when he received nothing of the sort.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru was startled not for the first time in the past few months at the physical change of physique and appearance through the years they have known each other. At the ripe young age of 16, Naruto had blossomed from a short cheeky-faced brat into a handsome young man (though he was still several inches of his preferred height.) Longer blond hair softly curling into spikes around the crown of his head and the base of his neck, smooth tanned skin stretched over a lean muscular physique, and broadened shoulders as well as a wide chest, Naruto was far from the young baby-faced child he was before. 

But what managed to catch his attention the most as well as hold it steadily from time to time, Shikamaru realizes, are the clear blue eyes of the other boy. It both held the knowledgeable depths of a wise old man as well as the twinkling mischievous happy-go-lucky attitude the blonde had always been recognized for. And most of all, they remind him of the clear cool waters of the beaches Shikamaru had visited as a child, when he could bask in the luminous waters and let it wash over him in a bath of serenity. 

A hand waves over his face several times again before Shikamaru snaps out of the daze he was caught in for the second time. Shikamaru blinks twice, before shooting an annoyed glance at Naruto. Naruto answers with an equally annoyed glare.

"What's wrong with you man? Quit staring at me and blanking out like that." Naruto retorts in irritation. Shikamaru raises a delicate brow, mind fumbling helplessly for an answer before he catches sight of the two boys walking towards them.

"Sasuke, Neji." Shikamaru nods at them as they walk to stand beside Naruto. 

Sasuke lifts a hand in greeting, though his dark eyes flickered to the blond-haired boy almost immediately. Neji nods solemnly at him as well, and like Sasuke, he levels his gave on Naruto afterwards. Naruto places his hands on his hip, not noticing the attention and throws his arms up in reckless abandon.

"You two took so long! I'm starving!!!!" Naruto complained, before he jumps towards and plants himself firmly in front of the newly arrived boys. He grins happily at them and gives a playful punch to Neji, who looked awfully out of place as Naruto had forced him to come out along with them. "And you! Who the hell wears a long-sleeved jacket like that in heat like this???" With the stupid grin still plastered on his face, Naruto brushes the sweat off his left cheek, over his marked whiskers and brings himself to the job of trying to work the jacket off the other boy.

Neji looks startled. His normally impassive face is ruffled with shock he did not manage to hide in time. Without fighting, he lets the blond-haired boy tug the jacket off him. But to Shikamaru's ever greater shock, his face delicately colours when Naruto offers him a cheeky grin and pats him on his pale arm.

"Gotta get a tan ne? Looking so pale people might start thinking you're a ghost." Naruto chortles. 

Sasuke snorted at what he said, and Naruto turns around to complain to Sasuke about how unbelievably late he was. He manages not to catch a flustered Neji muttering "no need to mind my business." Shikamaru however (alert as always and with quick attention to detail) sees how Neji's right eye twitches slightly as the long-haired boy tries not to smile. 

In a way, Shikamaru was relieved that he is not the only one paying attention to how much Naruto had changed and how strangely attracted he was to him. Others may not notice, especially with how carefully Neji conceals his emotions, but Shikamaru can catch the slightest detection of any hidden emotion. And he knows now that he has hooked on to the traces of adolescent crushing as he catches for a brief second Neji's adoring gaze at Naruto's retreating back.

Shikamaru feels the prickly beginnings of the spark of jealousy, as well as a rising desperation to win in this newly emerged rivalry between him and the cool-faced boy. As though detecting Shikamaru's challenging gaze on him, Neji tilts his head in answer as he returns the gaze. They both size each other up for what could have been a few seconds to a few hours, messages sent unheard but received all the same. Their intense contemplation of each other only breaks when a loud call of  "You idiots!!!! Come on! Quit being so slow!" interrupts them.

Shikamaru shifts his gaze to the Naruto and Sasuke, who are already down the street. Naruto is waving wildly at them, and Sasuke has his hands shoved in his pockets as he peers at them indifferently. Sweeping his eyes once more over Neji, Shikamaru is surprised to catch a dangerous sly smirk on the face of the normally stoic boy. The wind lifts long black hair lightly, brushing the world as its canvas.

" Don't stray behind." Soft words are whispered wickedly, before Neji throws his arms behind his head and begins to walk towards the other two boys. 

Shikamaru only stands there for a second, mind deftly deciphering this challenge before his own sort of smirk shifts over onto his face and he races up to fall into step with the long-haired boy. He flashes a grin at Neji, lifting his brows up pointedly.

Like hell he would.

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The warmth is more relentless under the afternoon sun, but the trees cast soft shadows on their faces as they stood silently. Naruto and Sasuke faced Neji and Shikamaru, and they all sat down simultaneously on the blue and white-checkered mat on the ground. Naruto has a wide grin on his face as he carefully reveals a large weaved basket behind him and pulls it out to set in the centre.

"Remind me what we're doing again." Sasuke asks grimly, he rests his face on his hands, as his elbows are propped up on his knees. There's a bored expression on his face as he eyes Naruto for an answer. Neji and Shikamaru look intrigued in turn. They also were unsure of this unexpected outing Naruto planned for them in the morning. Naruto sticks his tongue out at Sasuke, pushing the other boy lightly on the shoulder.

"We need a break guys, it's not our fault everyone is working us to our deaths." Naruto answers cheerfully, and the other boys look on curiously has he produced out of the basket several plastic containers, jars and some bread. Naruto notices them staring.

"It's a picnic guys. A Picnic! A word rarely used on those stocked up dictionary of yours up there I'll bet!" Naruto points up to his head. as he pronounces the word picnic carefully as though speaking to a child. 

"What?" Neji questions hesitantly, eyes rounding slightly.

Naruto rolls his eyes. " Pic-Nic!!! -A meal eaten outdoors, a common occasion. " He pronounces the word picnic carefully as though speaking to a child.

"I knew that." Neji said indignantly, flipping his hair over his shoulder as he watches Naruto butter a piece of bread.

Sasuke looked vaguely annoyed; "You brought us out for a picnic?"

Naruto casts Sasuke a sarcastic disbelieving look as he pushes a carefully buttered piece of bread into the boy's mouth. "By jolly, he's got it!" 

Sasuke only raises his eyes heavenward and began to chew on the bread obediently.

Shikamaru remains quiet for a while, studying the location Naruto had chosen for this very "special" occasion. The trees moved gently in the breeze, rocking back and forth in a rhythmic pattern. Although the heat was unbearable, it was diminished slightly in the shade. Shikamaru took in a deep breath, and he realizes that Naruto is right; they really needed this, the four of them.

But what Naruto thought was not completely correct, because what they needed was not a break -what they needed was a challenge. Shikamaru spares a glance at the silent boy sitting next to him.

A challenge was what he was getting.

Shikamaru leans forward.

"Say, how come the girls aren't here?" 

Naruto looks at him, already spreading peanut butter neatly on the next piece of bread. "Oh," Naruto looks annoyed, "Sakura, Ino and Tenten though it would be stupid to go on a picnic, so they decided to go shopping for clothes instead." He scrunches up his face as he tries to remember. "And uh, if you're thinking… Shino has to go to some weird bug exhibit, and Chouji said that he was going to his grandmother's home who, he informed me, make the most delicious pork buns he's ever tasted."

After he finished, Naruto stared at Neji and Shikamaru whose gazes seem locked on his face. Sasuke is currently downing the bread with a bottle of milk like a pig. Naruto offers the two of them another dazzling smile, and the two boys wonder simultaneously how Naruto could smile like that all the time.

Naruto tears the bread in half finally and shoves them into their mouths just as he had done with Sasuke. 

"Eat dammit! I brought enough food to last a month." Sasuke is unable to hold back a snort when he sees similar shocked reactions on the two boy's faces, with their cheeks bulging with bread. 

Shikamaru looked surprised for a minute, before he began to chew on the bread vigorously. As he swallows, he reaches for a frosted cupcake he spies sitting next to him and looks up quickly when another hand snatches it up first.

"Heh." Neji smirks, holding up the cupcake victoriously.

Neji                         1

Shikamaru              0

Glaring at the other boy, Shikamaru swiftly picks up another frosted cupcake- and offers it to Naruto. " Here." Shikamaru tosses the cupcake to Naruto, and the other boy catches it with a happy smile and pats Shikamaru's knee gently.

"Thanks man."

Shikamaru smiles back at Naruto graciously, before sneaking a smirk at Neji's somewhat irritated expression. 

Neji                         1

Shikamaru              1

Naruto offers to share his cupcake with Sasuke. Sasuke accepts. Shikamaru and Neji both stuff about a dozen grapes in their mouths at the same time.

"Now we'll do some team sparring." Naruto suddenly says. "Let's make teams."

Neji and Shikamaru share wide gazes.

"Wh'i'm witsh Mruttosh!!! (I'm with Naruto!)" They both yell simultaneously-

-and spray Sasuke's face with little pieces of half eaten grape flesh.

Neji and Shikamaru both stare wide-eyed at the normally calm reserved boy (of course, they themselves were pretty calm and reserved before Naruto attacked them)

Sasuke sits there without a word. Then he calmly reaches for a napkin and wipes the pieces off his face. 

Naruto stares bewildered for a second, eyes not leaving Sasuke's face, and he draws a deep breath he suddenly falls in a frenzy of laughter.

" HAHAHAHAHAHHAAH!" Naruto clutches at his stomach and peals of helpless laughter run out uncontrollably. 

Sasuke stares at the laughing boy indifferently, Neji and Shikamaru remain a little stunned, before Sasuke finally grabs hold of Naruto's hand roughly and pulls him up as he stands.

"Naruto is on my team." Sasuke says firmly, his dark eyes glowering a warning at any who disagrees. Neji and Shikamaru's anger flares up slightly before it dims slightly, better Sasuke than-him. They share equally angry glares pointedly, and stand up together as well.

Neji                         -1

Shikamaru              -1

"So you're on my team huh?" Shikamaru retorts in a boring tone at Neji. Neji answers in the same fashion. "Yea, you better not make me look bad."

Shikamaru snorts. 

"Don't screw up then."

In the background, complaints from Naruto about Why Sasuke had done something like that, and Sasuke's calm replies of: because you laughed at me baka were loud in the air.

Shikamaru and Neji did not hear, their minds are running with the similar thought: 

Naruto is mine.

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TBC…

This is just a short two-part thing, who will Naruto end up choosing? Shikamaru? Neji? Or perhaps even someone else??? Let me know who you want him to end up with? (not that it would really change the outcome of them story O___o *laughs*)

Find out in the next and final chapter!

*heart* C-chan

*Beta Notes*

Awwww C-Chan what a cute ficcy! ^^ Naruto brought thme all out to a picnic and Neji and Shikamaru are both vying for his attention ^______^ So kyutte this isn't badly written at all, only a few grammar mistakes, and some mis-spellnigs for the plot is REALLY good! Favorite part was when Sasuke gets sprayed by grapes hahahahahaha! *falls off her spinny chair laughing* I can so see that happening, also when Naruto stuffs buttered bread into all their mouths is funny too. ^^V Good Job!

~Seiya


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